Abstract

Photonic technologies have replaced copper for long distance point-to-point links and they are now looking attractive for short distance links within computers. Polymer-based components have been developed which do not require special manufacturing but can be formed directly on printed circuit boards (PCBs) using processes compatible with standard circuit board technology.

This lecture will review cost effective optical technologies for these applications, including siloxane materials developed at Dow Corning. Recent work at Cambridge has led to the development of advanced systems including a high capacity backplane for blade server computers with a total aggregate bandwidth of 1 Tb/s. Other applications will also be discussed, including sensing and biophotonics.

Speaker: Prof. Ian White is the van Eck Professor of Engineering, Heads of the School of Technology and Head of the Photonic Research Group in the Electrical Engineering Division at the University of Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and co-founder of ZinWave Ltd.